Archive for the tag “romance”

Just in case you missed it, freefall, my Wisconsin/Door County romantic suspense-mystery novel is now available in eBook at Amazon.com with its brand new cover!

“Everett held her tightly, aware of the violent beating of his heart. He felt as if he was falling—freefalling through 15,000 feet—without a parachute. It was exciting, thrilling—and deadly. He’d brought Kate up here to protect her, to keep her out of trouble. He’d told himself he owed that much to Keith. Now all he wanted to do was take her down into the cabin and ravage her ’til dawn…”

Freak accident or attempted murder? Kate needs answers to her brother’s plane crash, but her quest to unravel the mystery throws her into the turbulent wake of suave pilot/mechanic Everett Larsen. His penetrating gray gaze ignites in her a passion as powerful as a jet stream, but it also sparks a memory…
Drawn to Milwaukee by Keith’s cryptic message, Larsen is unprepared for the assault of emotion he feels when he sees Kate–after his wife’s death, he is afraid to love again. But when Kate insists on helping out at her brother’s aircraft repair shop and gets too close to the truth, he is even more afraid to lose her.

I’ve been very busy getting the books formatted and up again on Amazon.com. The process included designing new covers. I’m happy to reveal them now. To purchase the e-books direct from Amazon, just click on the pics! (Be sure to check out their great reviews while you’re there!)

TRUE blue is the third installment of my mystery/suspense series based on a Chicago cop family, the DeLucas. So why, you might ask, is there a picture of a mountain lake and a waterfall on the cover?

Good question. Yes, two thirds of the story in TRUE bluedoes take place in the streets of Chicago. Chicago is a fascinating city compiled of seventy-seven different neighborhoods that house the poorest of the poor to the richest of the rich and every socioeconomic class in between. Diversity is Chicago’s middle name. The streets are bustling with commerce, culture, and unfortunately in many instances, crime. Given all that, what better place to set a mystery/suspense novel? From the often serene beauty of Lake Michigan and the famous Chicago skyline to the tired apartment complexes of the inner city, Chicago is ripe for stories of personal triumph and despair.

And, for a pair of married detectives, it is filled with cases that need to be solved. But life can be hectic in this bustling city when you are attempting to keep up with your current case load while trying to solve a twenty-four year old murder, deal with the return of a childhood sweetheart, keep a marriage together, and raise a very active three-year old all at the same time. Oh, and then there’s the extended family and all their issues to contend with. (Read on and leave a comment to automatically be entered to win a free e-book copy of TRUE blue!Drawing for the winner will be on August 3.)Read more…

Or, I could just as easily title this post: “Following the writing schedule and meeting the deadline!”

Available May 16th from musapublishing.com, Amazon.com, and all major eBook Retailers

I am thrilled to announce that TRUE bluereleased on schedule on Friday, May 16th. This one was a tough one to pull off. When I started writing the book last September, I didn’t realize how involved it was going to get, or the obstacles that would be put in my path along the way. However, when my publisher gave me the release date of May 16th, I knew I had to finish the book on time so I could meet the date. You see, that is my father’s birthdate, and although he passed away almost ten years ago now, I felt that the date was a sign that yes, I did needed to finish this book and get it out there. But a May 16th release date meant a February 15th completed clean draft date so I could get it to my editor and we could work through the edits and get it to my publisher by their March 16th deadline.

A lot happened between September and February 15th: the major family holidays of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s; a debilitating illness; and the death of a very dear family member. Through it all, though, I knew I had to keep working, meeting the weekly page schedule that I set for myself in the beginning of the writing. It wasn’t always easy. There were times when the last thing I wanted to do was sit my butt down in the chair and write. However, when one has a goal the only way to reach it is to keep plugging along. And, as of February 5th, I had another reason to complete the book–I had a very dear sister-in-law who was taken too early that I wanted to dedicate it to.

So yes, the book is here, and as the author, I am even more thrilled that it is all and even more than I imagined it would be. TRUE bluecontinues the story of the DeLuca Family and deals with love and abiding friendship while tackling a twenty-four year old murder mystery. There’s also a little steam in it to spice it up. And if you haven’t read DeLuca Family 1 and 2 (heartbeats and ICE blue), don’t be dismayed. You can enjoyTRUE blue as a stand alone novel, too!

So for now, Happy Reading while I celebrate. Although, I must say, the next book is already percolating in my head. Ah, the life of a writer :-).

TRUE blue (DeLuca Family)

Sometimes we must revisit the past to embrace our future.

Twenty-four years ago, the murder of a Chicago police officer changed Joey DeLuca’s life. He lost his best friend and first love, Meghan McConnell, when her mother whisked her out of town. Now, on the eve of another officer’s death, Meghan is back and about to step into his life again.

There is very little gray in Joey’s line of work as a Lt. Detective–it is either black or white, right or wrong. But Meghan’s insistence on finding answers to her father’s murder threatens those beliefs and throws his marriage to CPD Detective Andi, his career, and the entire DeLuca family in jeopardy when new revelations come to light.

Can Joey save his marriage, solve the murder, and keep his family together all at the same time?

UPDATE: We have a winner in TRUE blue‘s Name that Picture on the Cover Contest! Congratulations, Cindy Erexson. You correctly identified the scene as Glacier National Park and have won a free download of TRUE blue.

Only eleven days and counting untilTRUEblue‘s release. And yes, although the main characters are Chicago Cops, somewhere along the way they have to leave the city and venture to Glacier. Although the book is intrigue and suspense, it was quite fun writing the majestic scenery into the book and sharing it with readers.

If you would like to be one of the first to get a copy of TRUE blue, click HERE to pre-order it directly from MusaPublishing today!

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Only THREE WEEKS and counting until TRUE blue’s release… and we have a cover!

I’m very excited about this one and in honor of its reveal, I am offering a FREE eBook copy of TRUE blue to the first person who leaves a comment on this post or on my Facebook page who correctly identifies where the background picture is taken. You get two guesses. That’s two chances to win!

The inspiration for TRUE blue’s cover!

True Blue: Book Three in the DeLuca Family Series

When Lt. Detective Joey DeLuca’s childhood flame breezes into Chicago seeking answers to her father’s twenty-four year old murder, the situation heats up for Joey, his wife Andi, and the entire DeLuca clan. For an excerpt, click HERE!

(All DeLuca Series books can be enjoyed as stand-alone novels.)

Enter to be the first one to get a copy of TRUE blue when it is released May 16th!

(HINT: this view is some place in the United States. Hope that helps!)

UPDATE: We have a Grand Prize winner in the Hot Summer Heroes Blog Hop. Congratulations to Dawna N. from romancingthereader.com‘s blog who won the
grand prize of the gift card of $100 to Amazon or Barnes & Noble (her
choice). Yes, the hop is over, but if you are new here, read on for an excerpt from my hot summer novel, freefall, and reader’s comments as to what they think makes a hero hot. Thanks for stopping by. Please follow my blog for more opportunities to enter future blog hops and other insights into the writing life.

So what makes a hero hot? Is it his sexy smile, the knowing look in his eyes, or his hunky physique? For me, it’s not just his looks, but his actions. It’s the hero who holds back, gives a girl time to get used to him, respects her “space” even if she isn’t necessarily sure she wants it respected–especially when she’s already getting a diabetic-coma dose of eye candy just by looking at him.

Yes, a hot hero is the guy who knows when to take charge, but also knows when to take a step back, which only makes things even hotter the next time around.

Read on for a taste of what I’m talking about in an excerpt from my novel, freefall, featuring DEA agent “Spike” Larsen…and the captivating Kate Reynolds.

Summer is heating up, and so are the heroes in the Hot and Deadly Blog Hop!

What makes a hero deadly? For fire paramedic Angela DeLuca, who is trying to protect an immigrant mother and her unborn baby, it’s the animal magnetism of ICE agent Troy Deavers, aka Thaddeus Deavereux the Third in my new novel, ICE blue. Alarm bells ring in Angela’s head as Troy’s smooth touch and passionate kisses awaken a fire in her she had long thought extinguished.

Enjoy the excerpt below, then leave a comment to be entered into a drawing for a free download of each of my first two novels heartbeats and freefall,and the chance to be entered into the Hot and Deadly Blog Hop grand-prize giveaway of a $53.50 gift certificate to B&N or Amazon, winners choice.

Click on the link after the excerpt to continue on with the hop and explore some more Hot and Deadly heroes.

Enjoy!

Susan Rae

Excerpt : ICE blue

“More wine?”

She’d finished her glass and set it down on the table.

“No, thank you. It’s getting late and I have to be up early. I’m taking on an extra shift tomorrow.” She slid her chair back. He stood too and came around the table to help her.

“I’ll drive you home. Then I’ll grab a cab and come back and retrieve my own car.”

“Really, that’s not necessary.”

“But, given the wine we drank…as a matter of fact, maybe we both should take a cab.”

She tested her bearings as she rose. She knew her limits and she was definitely not drunk. If she was, she wouldn’t think twice about calling a cab. She’d seen far too often the results of drinking and driving. Read more…

5 Stars!– “ICE blue is a wonderful weaving of love that blooms amid the sad problems of poor people being exploited by ruthless powerful money seekers. Well done.” – Alberta, Manic Readers

5 Stars! –Fast Paced – Cold Drama – “Aptly titled, ‘ICE blue’ is an action packed page turning mystery thriller with a steamy romance thrown in to keep things interesting..Rae is my hero for placing the human trafficking issue in the United States at the forefront of good fiction. James Patterson can stand aside as I can’t wait to read the third volume of the DeLuca series when it comes out next year.” –Gregory S. Lamb, PDX Author

5 Stars! –“Don’t let the fact that it’s the second in a series detract you. This book fully stands on its own. I loved Angela and Troy. Ms. Rae weaves a story that sticks with you.” – Brianna Soloski

“I got hooked from the very beginning…Romantic suspense definitely describes this novel. I never knew what was going to happen next whether it be with Angela and Troy’s love life or their actual lives…I really enjoyed this novel and I would recommend itto everyone. 4 Stars!— Anna Reese, My Pathway to Books

It’s WEEK TWO of ICE blue’s release and I’m over on MUSA’s blog with a recipe for these scrumptious almond macaroons. Check out the recipe HERE, then come on back and enter my drawing for a free download of heartbeats or freefall and your very own ICE blue coffee mug. It’s perfect for curling up with your coffee and your e-reader on these blustery spring days. Leave a comment at the end of this post and you will be automatically entered into the drawing which runs through Friday, April 12th.

I hope you all had a great Easter. Now, after all that family time, you might want to indulge in a little pleasure reading. Here’s a tease from my new release. Enjoy! And, if you leave a comment at the end of this post, you’ll be automatically entered into my contest running through Friday, April 5th to win an ICE bluemug AND a free e-B00k of heartbeatsor freefall. Your choice! Both received excellent reviews.

“No, thank you. It’s getting late and I have to be up early. I’m taking on an extra shift tomorrow.” She slid her chair back. He stood and came around the table to help her.

“I’ll drive you home. Then I’ll grab a cab and come back and retrieve my own car.”

“Really, that’s not necessary.”

“But, given the wine we drank…as a matter of fact, maybe we both should take a cab.”

She tested her bearings as she rose. She knew her limits and she was definitely not drunk. If she was, she wouldn’t think twice about calling a cab. She’d seen far too often the results of drinking and driving.

“Trust me, I’m fine.” She met his gaze straight on.

“All right,” he said at last, “but I’m taking a rain check.”

Her pulse throbbed in her neck at the look in his eyes. It was a challenge. Where did they go from here? Read more…

The Musa Publishing 1st Anniversary Blog Hop is ON! Read on, leave a comment, and you will automatically be entered into my drawing for a free download of Freefall! Then continue with the Hop and enter for the opportunity to win Musa’s Grande Prize Giveaway of a KINDLE FIRE!

4) PARTICIPATION AT ALL BLOGS IS RECOMMENDED, BUT NOT REQUIRED. REMEMBER, THE MORE BLOGS YOU HOP and COMMENT ON, THE BETTER YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING PRIZES. EVERY AUTHOR & BOOK PAGE IS WAITING TO MEET AND INTERACT WITH YOU, SO PLEASE BE SURE TO SHOW THEM SOME LOVE!

5)Grand Prize of a Kindle Fire is for Us and Canada mailing addresses only. International winners will receive a $50.00 Musa Gift Card. Winner will be announce on October 7th 2012 at 11 est at The romance review forum.

6) DID I MENTION TO HAVE FUN? ***Authors & Book Pages have full discretion to choose an alternate winner in the event any winner fails to claim their prize(s) within 72 hours of their name being posted or after notification of win, whichever comes first. Anyone who participates in this blog hop tour is subject to these rules***

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And now for my blog:Returning to the Scene of the Crime, or Promotion 101

Recently, my husband and I returned to the Scene of the Crime of my current release, Freefall,for a vacation, and I had fun using the opportunity for what I call a little Promotion 101.

Click here for info and buy links!

In Freefall, my hero and heroine travel to Door county to track down a lead in the attempted murder plot, and they find much more than they bargained for. I set the novel in Door county, because it is one of my favorite places to vacation—great big blue skies, cliffs of the Niagra Escarpment overlooking the sparkling waters of Green Bay and Lake Michigan, wonderful lighthouses, and, yes, golf courses. I thought the idylic setting a perfect place for murder.

Going back on vacation, I knew I needed to use some of the time to promote Freefall, but, since it is an ebook, it was a bit challenging. You can’t exactly schedule book signings when you don’t have the physical book to sign. So I went back to the basic principle of promotion, or what I call, Promotion 101—talk the book up, not necessarily myself. Tell just two people, then two more people, then two more people, and if you get them excited about it, perhaps they will tell two more people and so on and so on. Read more…

Hello all! I’m on the Ndulgent Bloggers Blog Hop this week and this is going to be fun. Read on and in the end, leave a comment and you will automatically be entered into my giveaway for a free e-copy each of Heartbeatsand Freefall. But don’t stop there! Ndulgent Bloggers are hosting a GRAND PRIZEof $100 Gift Card from the WINNER’S CHOICE of Barnes & Noble or Amazon, so click the button after the post to enter the Grand Prize giveaway and continue on with the Hop for some more great giveaway opportunities!

Now let’s get on with it. What are my Top 10 Guilty Indulgences?

Right now, as I work toward the deadline of my new romantic suspense novel, ICE Blue, everything I do feels like an indulgence! Writers write because some masochistic thing inside us tells us we just love to create characters and stories, then sit for untold hours at a computer (thank God for computers, it makes it easier to do all those rewrites!) and hash out the words. Sometimes the words come easy, sometimes it’s like pulling a stubborn elephant out of a pool of quicksand…not that I’ve ever done that…but I can imagine…the thick, oozing, sucking sand…the gray, wrinkled elephant bleating in protest…oops, sorry, going astray. Ah, yes, that is one of the indulgences, letting the mind stray from the task at hand. So what are my top ten ways to indulge myself as trudge toward that deadline?

#10. This is the easy one. Ice Cream. I try not to have it every night!

#9. Chocolate. It’s a great reward after I complete a scene. Not only does it taste good, but the combination of sugar and caffeine gives the mind a boost to help it create that next scene, especially when it’s a love scene!

Hi, the independence day Day Blog Hop is over. And the winner is….Mac! I hope you all enjoyed the hop. I’ll keep these recipes on for anyone who wants them.

The 4th of July Holiday is upon us, and let’s face it–this summer is hot and steamy—much too hot and steamy to spend time slaving away in the kitchen over some crazy convoluted recipe. I don’t know about you, but I’d prefer spending time by the pool, or at the beach, reading a sizzling hot summer romance!

But it’s also time for family gatherings and parties. So, I’ve put together some of my super simple recipes that will wow your guests and still leave you plenty of time and energy to enjoy your company or get through your summer reading list. Suzi’s Super Simple Wow Recipes are inspired by my trips to Door County, Wisconsin and feature Door County Cherries, but you can substitute any cherry pie filling in them if you like—they just won’t taste quite as tartly sweet and delicious!

Ahh…Door County…very beautiful and inspiring—so much so that I feature the setting in my own new sizzling hot romantic suspense novel, freefall. (You can click HERE to find out more about freefalland read an excerpt. I highly suggest it for that poolside or beach read! Buy Links: MusaPublishing.com ; Amazon.com ; Barnes and Noble.com)

Door County Tranquility

A Tasty Sampler of Some of Door County’s Best!

From the panoramic vistas of Green Bay looking out from the bluffs on the western side of the peninsula, to the quaint little towns and shops hugging the inlets and bays, Door County forms an idyllic yet dramatic backdrop for the intrigue in freefall—as well as a great place to spend a vacation. My husband and I make it a point to spend at least a few days up there each year, and on our way home, we always stop at one of the roadside farm markets and stock up on pie filling, dried cherries, and many of the other cherry goodies offered. If you can’t get to Door County, don’t despair! The good news is, they are available on-line. The bad news is, this year’s crop is expected to be just 5% of normal, due to the extreme heat in early March, then the following freeze which killed the early blossoms. So, if you want some of these delicious cherries, you may want to order them now while some of last year’s crop is still available. I’ve included two of the links at the end of the blog.

Now, onto the recipes—and remember, I said they were super easy! Read more…

I am very excited to announce that freefall, my second novel with Musa Publishing, has just been released. As I write this, I am gazing at the two dozen red roses my husband gave me—not for the release, but for our anniversary. It would seem after all these years, he still likes me!

Yes, I am a romantic at heart, and that’s why I love writing romance novels; but not just any romance novels, novels with gripping stories that give you lots of suspense and intrigue with a good deal of spice mixed in—novels that explore our relationships with family, friends, and lovers.

With that being said, I’d love to introduce you to freefall, the book I always wanted to write. The inspiration came from my Read more…